there are still a lot of people hurting even as the market improves. that is why you see people pushing these through financing bills. that would be an instant fix for a lot of families. >> we asked why the campaign is the actual talking about there governor romney could go after, but he's not. >> even some of the president's allies, particularly on the left >> disappointed with the president's actions on housing. they think he could have done more. while they've done things, they haven't come close to what they set out to do. it's not a great talking point for governor romney because he doesn't have a whole lot of detail out there that he wants to talk about. he's been very reluctant to say anything about expanded

government aid. that's a real contrast to senator mccain who in 2008 had a pretty aggressive housing plan this. administration ended up being less aggressive than the republican opposition wanted to in 2008. >> we'll have to leave it there. thank you bothful >> thank you. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> there's a lot of research out there that, in fact, mobile usage is even higher among minority communities than it is among white communities. i've seen some startling research that in some of these minority communities, 70% or 80% of the usage of the broadband is through mobile applications. i'm not a critic of mobile

broadband in any way whatsoever. after the wireless transition, we're in the business, so no reason for me to be critical. my comment is not a platform comment. it's more a device comment. and that is if you're going to do mobile on a laptop and get real broadband speed, l.t.e.-type speeds, i don't have any problem. if you're in the educational context and talking about mobile smart phone and a lot of this access of broadband, in minority communities in particular, i don't view that as an acceptable -- accept table replacement. >> david cohen on telecommunications monday at 8:00 eastern on c-span 2. >> first lady michelle obama was in wisconsin friday at this

campaign stop in appleton. this was her second visit to wisconsin in a little more than a month. it's half an hour. [cheers] >> thank you so much! yes, i'm very excited to be with you all today. i want to start by thanking eli for that very kind introduction for everything he's doing for this campaign. i want to thank a couple of -- one more person as well. i want to recognize former senator russ feingold. [cheers] thank you for everything you've

done for this state and everything that he's doing for the campaign here in wisconsin. and most of all, i want to thank all of you, especially all the students here at lawrence university. thanks for being here. yes! yes! now, you all seem pretty fired up and ready to go. [cheers] and that's great because i'm feeling pretty fired up and ready to go myself. yes indeed. you know, the wonderful thing about coming out into the country, coming and doing rallies, speaking to you guys is that i get to do one of my favorite things -- i get to talk about the man i have loved and admired for -- since 23

years ago. i've been sharing a little of our business, all right? just a little. but back when we first met, brack had everything going for him, all right? ladies, listen -- he was handsome. still is. dd don't you think? he was charming, talented and oh, so very, very smart. but that is not why i mared him so fellows -- married him. so fellows, listen to this. what truly made me fall in love with barack was his character. did you hear what i said, gentlemen? it was his character, his honesty, his accident si, his

compassion. it was his conviction. i loved that barack was so committed to serving others that he turned down high-paying jobs and instead started his careers fighting to get folks back to work who struggled in communities. i loved that about him. i also loved that barack was so deskyrocket -- devoted to his family, especially the women in his life. i watched this. i saw the respect that he had for his own mother, how proud he was that she was able to put herself through school and still support him and his sister as a single mom. i saw the tenderness he felt for his grandmother and how grateful he was that long after she should have retired, she was still waking up every morning, catching that bus to

the job at the community bank, and he watched as she was passed over for promotion simply because she was a woman. but he also saw how she kept on doing that same job. kept getting up year after year, without complaints and without regret. and with barack i found a real connection because in his life story, i saw so much of my own. growing up on the south side of chicago, i watched my own father make that same uncomplaining journey every day to his job at the city water plant. i saw how he carried himself with that same dignity, you know? that same pride in being able to provide for us. that same hope that his kids would one day have opportunities he never dreamed of. now, how many people do we know like that in our lives?

you know? [applause] like so many families in this country, our families weren't asking for much. they didn't want much. they didn't begrudge anyone else's success. they didn't mind nb others had much more than they had. in fact, they admired it. they believed that in that fundamental american promise that even if you don't start out with much, if you work hard and do what you're supposed to do you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids and grandkids, and -- [applause] absolutely. and our families believed that when you work hard and you've done well and you finally walk

through that doorway of opportunity, you don't slamit shut behind you. you reach back and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed. [cheers] that's how barack, that's how so many of us were raised. those are the values were you we were taught growing up. we learned that how hard you work matters more than how much you make, right? we learned that the truth matters so you don't take shortcuts, you don't game the system, you don't play by your own set of rules. we also learn that would none of us gets where we are on our own. that each of us -- [applause] every single one of us has a community of people lifting us up.

from the teachers who inspiring -- inspire us to the janitors who keep our schools clean. [applause] and what our parents and grandparents taught us is that you value everyone's contribution, you treat everyone with respect. we also learned about citizenship and service, you know, that we're all a part of something gigerer -- bigger than ourselves, that with our freedoms come obligations and with our blessings come a duty to give back to others with less. and these are the values truly that make barack such an extraordinary husband to me and a phenomenal father to our girls. [applause]

i will tell sashay and malia you say hi. that's very sweet but i talk about barack's values not just as a wife and a mother but also as a first lady who has seen up close and personal what being president really looks like and just how critical those values are to leading this country. you know, over the past three and a half years i've seen how the issues that come across the president's desk are always the hard ones. the decisions that are not just about the bottom line but about lying a foundation for the next generation. i've seen how important -- [applause] yes. and i've seen how important it is to have a president who doesn't just tell us what we want to he but he tells us the truth, even when it's hard. especially when it's hard. [applause]

and i've also seen that when it comes time to make those tough calls -- and everyone is usuallying you to do what's easy. everyone is urging you to do what polls best, what gets good headlines. as president you have got to be driven by the struggles, hopes, and dreams of all of the people that you serve. as president you have to have a strong inner compass, a core commitment to your fellow citizens and that's how you make the right decisions for this country. that's what it takes to be a leader. [applause] and let me just say, since the day he took office, you know, on issue after issue, crisis after crisis, that's what we've seen in my husband.

we've seen his values at work, the vision of his character and critics. think back to when barack first took off. -- office. right after he was inaugurated. our economy was on the brink of clams. newspapers were using words like meltdown, calamity. create implodes, economy in crisis. for years folks had been lured into buying homes they couldn't afford so their mortgages were under water, banks weren't lending, companies weren't hiring, the auto industry was in crisis. this economy was losing 800,000 jobs every month. 800,000 jobs every month. and a lot of folks whether we were headed for a great depression. see, now that's what barack faced on day one as president

of the quiet. but instead of pointing fingers and placing blame, your president got to work. [applause] he was thinking about us. about folks like my dad and like his grandmother and that's why he cracked down on lending adduce -- abuses so today when folks apply for a mortgage or credit card you know exactly what you're getting in to. that's why he cut taxing for families and small businesses. balls we believe that teachers and firefighters should not be paying higher tax rates than millionaires and billionaires, not in america. [applause] he got the all the industry back on its feet and today new cars are rolling off the line

at proud american companies like g.m. and yes, while we still have a long way to go to rebuild our economy, understand we have had 30 straight months of private sector job growth, a total of 5.1 million new jobs under this president! good jobs. right here in the united states of america. [applause] let's talk about the health of our families. see, barack didn't care whether health reform was the easy thing to do politically. that's not who he is. he cared that it was the right thing to do, and thankfully because he fought for health reform, today our parents and grandparents on medicare are paying hundreds less for their prescription drugs. our young people can stay on their parents' insurance until they're 26 years old. [applause]

insurance companies now have to cover basic preventive care. things like droon interception, cancer screening. they won't be able to discriminate against you because you have a preexisting condition like diabetes or asthma, and if you get a serious illness -- let's say breast cancer -- and you need expensive treatment. they can no longer tell you sorry, you hit your lifetime limit and we're not covering a penny more. that is illegal because of health reform. and as eli mentioned, when it comes to giving our young people the education they deserve -- see, barack knows that like me and like so many of you he never, never couch

attended college without financial aid. never. in fact, as i shared in my speech in charlotte, when we were first married, our combined student loan bills were higher than our mortgage. when it comes to student debt, barack and i, we've been there. this is not a hypothetical. that's why barack fought so hard to double funding for pell grants and keep interest rates down. [applause] because he knows how important it is for all of our young people to be trained to have the skills that you need for the jobs of the future. you know, good jobs you can raise a family on. jobs that will drive our economy for decades to come. and finally, when it comes to understanding the lives of women -- you know, what it comes to standing up for our rights and opportunities, we know that my husband will always have our backs.

always! see, because barack knows from personal experience what it means for family when women aren't treated fairly in the workplace. he knows what it means when women struggle to meet the demands of their jobs and the needs of their families. and today, believe me, he knows as a father, he knows what it means for our daughters to have the same freedoms and opportunities as our sons. that's why the first bill he signed into law as president was to help women get equal pay and are equal work. [applause] yes, and that is why he will always, always fight to insure that -- ensure that women, that we can make our own decisions about our bodies and our health

care. [applause] so when people ask you what this president has done for our country, when you're talking to folks who are deciding who's going to keep our country moving forward for four more years, here's what i want you to tell them. just a few things -- because we don't have all day. i want you to tell them about the millions of jobs barack create. tell them about how he passed health reform, tell them about all our kids who will finally be able to afford college. tell them how barack ended the war in iraq. [applause] tell them how together we took out osama bin laden. tell them how barack fought to

get veterans and military families the benefits they've earned. tell them about young immigrants brought to america through no fault of their own and how they will no longer be deported from the only country they've ever called home. [applause] tell them how our brave men and women in uniform will never, never again have to lie an who they are to serve the country they love. [applause] you know this. you know i could go on and on and on but here is what i want you to tell them. tell them that barack knows the american dream because he's lived it. he has lived it. and he has been fighting every day so that every one of us in this country can have that same

opportunity no matter who we are or where we're from or what we look like or who we love. but let's be clear. while my husband is proud of what we have achieved together, he is nowhere near satisfied. not at all, not for one second. barack knows that too many people are still hurting. he knows that there's plenty of work left to be done. as president clinton said in charlotte, it is going to take a lot longer than four years to rebuild an economy prosecute the edge of collapse. but here's -- from the edge of clams. but here's one thing that i know for sure -- our president has been fighting for us. he has been struggling with us and together, slowly but surely, we've been pulling ourselves out of that hole we started in. for three and a half years

we've been moving forward, we've been making progress and we're beginning to see that change we all can believe in. we have to ask ourselves, are we going to turn around and go back to the same policies that got us into that hole in the first place? are we going to sit back and watch everything that we worked for and fought for to slim away? are we going to keep moving this country guard? what are we going to do? forward! we have to keep moving forward. yeah! audra mcdonald four more -- audience: four more years four more years! >> but here's the thing.

the answer to these questions is on us. it's up to us. because all of our hard pork -- work, all the progress we've made together, it's all on the line. everything is at stake this november, and as my husband has said, the only guarantee is that this election will be closer than the last one and it could all come down to just a few battleground states like wisconsin. can decide the whole thing by just a few thousand votes. and while that may sound like a lot, a few thousand votes -- remember that those votes are spread out across an entire state. across hundreds of cities and thousands of wards. when you think about it like that, just a handful of votes in every ward could make all

the difference in the world. that could mean just a couple of votes in a neighborhood. just a single vote in an apartment building or in a dorm room. so understand, especially for our students, that one neighbor that one classmate you get to the polls on november 6, that one voter you persuade that one new volunteer you recruit, that could be the one that puts us over the top, so with just a few evenings on a phone bank, with just a few hours knocking on some doors, everybody in this room has a chance to swing an entire ward for barack obama. if we win enough wards we will win this state. and if we win this state we'll be well on our way to putting barack obama back in the white house for four more years. with your help. with your help.

so here's what i need to you do -- here's the plan. the secret plan. dd you guys turn off your cameras. just kidding. so from now until november we're going to need every single one -- look at this room. look at the power in this room. we're going to need every single one of you to work like you've never worked before. young people, like so many of you here. you all have driven barack's campaigns with your passion and your energy. gosh, you guys are good. and 39 days is a long, long time in any campaign, don't be fooled. we've got to turn all of this energy and excitement into action. it doesn't count if it doesn't go into action. we have to work right up until

the very end. so we need you to find one of our volunteers today. they're around here. they have clip boards. we need you to sign up with them to make calls, knock on doors, to help get the vote out on campus and in the community and we also need you to talk to everyone you know. your friend, your neighbors, that cousin you haven't seen in a while that student sitting next to you in class who you know is not registered. you know it, and for our students, especially, talk to your parents and grandparents. i can't tell you how many grandparents came up to me and told me that the only reason they voted for barack obama in 2008 was because of what it meant for their grandchildren. so what you say matters more than you know. so talk to them. tell them what's at stake in this election. remind them of all of the wonderful things this president has accomplished.

bring them to events like this one if you can, but most of all, make sure that the folks you talk to and yourselves, make sure that you're registered to vote. especially for students, if you've just moved, you have to re-register. if you've never voted before, you can't vote until you register. so the first step is getting registered. make sure that you know that here in wisconsin you can vote early. you can start voting as early as october 22 at any municipal post office, right? you students, all right? you all in particular. you need to vote early. you know what's going to happen on election day, right? you're going to oversleep or be like -- was that election day? that was yesterday? so we need you to vote early because you have weeks to do it. you can do it in between classes, you can do it on a

weekend. you don't have to wait for that one day. for the folks that you talk to, tell them that they can register and vote on the same day, whether you're voting early or on election day, ok? but don't pro contrast nate, as i tell my children. don't wait. and if folks don't know where to go for the information they need, send them to ownyour vote wi.com. there they can find everything they need to make their voices heard. all the information is -- information is on this website. make sure you send people there if you don't know offhand. we got it? secret plan? ok, you may turn your cameras back on. but i want to be honest with you. this journey is going to be hard, ok? and these next days are going to feel long, all right?

and here's the thing. there will be plenty of ups and downs along the way, all right? that's how it works in a campaign. but when you start to get tired and you will -- when you start to think about taking a day off, and you will -- i just want to you remember that what we do for the next 39 days will absolutely make the difference between waking up the day after election day and wondering could i have done more or feeling the promise of four more years. it's the difference in how we work. so from now until november 6, we need you to keep on working and struggling and pushing forward because here's the thing, especially for our young people. that is how change always happens in this country. real change takes time. it requires patience and tenacity and that's not just with politics.

it's with everything that happens in life. it takes time, right? but if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight, if we keep doing what we know is right, then eventually we get there. this is what i want you all to know. in america we always move forward. we always move forward. [applause] maybe not in our lifetime but maybe in our children's life times. maybe in our grandchildren's lifetimes because in the end that's what this is about. that's what elections are always about. don't let anybody tell you differently ever. elections are always about hope. the hope that i saw on my father's beaming face as i crossed the stage to get my

college diploma. the hope that i'm sure barack's grandmother felt as she cast her ballot for the grandson she loved and raised. the hope that all those men and women in our lives who worked that extra shift for us, who saved and sacrificed and prayed so that we could have something more, the hope that so many of us feel when we look into your eyes, the eyes of our children and our grandchildren. that's why we're here. that's why i'm here. because we want to give all of our children a foundation for their dreams, all of them. we want to give all of our children opportunities worthy of their dreams because what we all know for sure -- i don't care what party you're from, all of our kids are worthy, every last one of them. [applause] we want to give our kids that sense of limitless

possibilities. that bleach that here in america, the greatest country on the planet, there is always something better out there if you're willing to work for it. so what i tell myself is we cannot turn back now, not now. we have come so far. but we have so much more work to do, don't we? so are we ready to do this? are you all ready to roll up your sleeves? are you fired up? are you ready to go? are you ready to work? let's get it done. thank you, guys. god bless. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> monday, we'll look at a citizen's guide to the 2012 presidential debate. a panel with journalists and political commentators will talk about what to look for from the candidates in the hours of debate coming up next month. our coverage begins at 1:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> former governor tommy thompson faces tammy baldwin in a debate for u.s. senate. this is hosted by the wisconsin broadcasters association. it's 55 minutes. >> good evening. wisconsin radio and television broadcasters are pleased to be able to continue our broadcast

tradition it will be broadcast nationwide on c-span and the world channel and will engage the two leading candidates for the 2012 senate election in their first face-to-face debate. former wisconsin governor tommy thompson and second district congresswoman tammy baldwin. this evening's debate is made possible in part through generous grants from the wisconsin association of independent colleges and universities, w.p.s. health insurance and aarp in wisconsin. and on their behalf, mr. sam wilson. >> did evening, my name is jim riordan from the health insurance and these are my friends from the association of independent colleges and universities and sam wilson, state director of aarp. along with w.p.s. and

aarp-wisconsin, wisconsin's 23 private nonprofit colleges and universities and our more than 61,000 students are pleased to sponsor this debate between the major candidates for the u.s. senate. to be competitive in a global knowledge economy, wisconsin needs to expand educational opportunity. this is our mission at the association. we also believe that good government depends upon an informed and educated public and that a debate can and should be educational. aarp-wisconsin has over 800,000 members in the state and over 37 million members nationwide and we are pleased to join in sponsoring the 2012 u.s. senate debate. aarp has a 25-year history of nonpartisan voter education and voter engagement. we appreciate you joining us this evening.

and please visit www. earntosay.org to find more information about candidates and the issues this election season. >> at w.p.s. health insurance, we've been ensuring wisconsin's health since 1946 and in that time have seen our society and government face growing challenges, especially in health care and health insurance, like ralph and sam, we hope our sponsorship of this u.s. senate debate will help you gain a better understanding of how each of these candidates will represent us and govern our nation. please join us in watching the debate and in thinking about the future. then make your voice heard by voting on tuesday, november 6. >> the format for tonight's debate will allow for each candidate to make an opening statement, to respond to questions from a panel of reporters, and finally, for each candidate to make a closing statement. the order of responses has been previously decided by a coin flip. our panelist this evening

include robert kennedy, news director wtaq radio green bay, lisa patro, wqow tv o'claire and john quarter, news director waftvreinlander. we'll begin with one-minute opening statements. senator baldwin, your opening statement? >> thank for you this opportunity. over this last year i've traveled this great state meeting with people who are working hard, playing by the rules and trying to get ahead. unfortunately, for so many, it's been harder and harder just to get by. and what's changed hasn't been our work ethic, it's been the rules. you know, today in washington, big powerful entrusts the ones with a whole lot of money and best lobbyists get to write their own rules and there's too many politicians who are eager to help them. people feel that washington isn't listening to the struggles of middle class families, and that's why

wisconsin needs a senator who will. i've spent my time in washington being a voice for the struggles of middle class families and standing up to powerful interests like wall street, big oil, and the big health insurance companies. my opponent spent his time in washington helping these same powerful interests. i've taken on powerful interests on behalf of ordinary citizens. my opponent has taken on powerful special interests as clients. so ask yourself tonight, who is better to represent the middle class? >> thank you. your opening statement, governor thompson? >> first off, let me thank everybody for being involved and thank you for putting this on. i'm tommy thompson. i've been governor of this great state for 14 years. while i was governor of this great state we cut taxes 91 times. we reformed welfare and gave people an opportunity to work.

we reformed a health care, built the best health care possible for poor, middle income and people all over the state. it's acknowledged as the best health care in the country. i also was able to be the architect for part d for medicare people so seniors were able to get drugs. i also, with my wife, who is with me tonight, started a women's health foundation. she and my daughter have set up a health care for the people of state of wisconsin, for the women of wisconsin. i've always tried to do what was right for wisconsin and i think we've been successful. i lived my whole life with my family in wisconsin and we were able to create 742,000 jobs while i was governor. i was a reformer. my opponent is ranked as the number one liberal in the united states house of representatives. that's a pretty hard ranking to give to when you know she's the number one spender in the house

of representatives. it's difficult to be able, with all those spenders to be number one, and she has been able to succeed in that capacity. i've always done what was right for wisconsin, and always will. i need your help and i hope that you will support me for the united states senate. >> thank you. our first question will be from robert kennedy. first for governor thompson. >> governor, good evening. >> good evening, robert. >> how are you? >> i'm good, thank you. >> you know, a lot of people in wisconsin have come to the state since your time as governor, maybe aren't as familiar with you as others, perhaps the representative from her district isn't as well known around the rest of the state. so a lot of the people finding out about you now are through the campaign ads they see and hear on the radio and tv and some of them are pretty hard against each other. so i'd like you to tell me what you think is the biggest or most gross inaccuracy or perhaps outright lie in an ad

your opponent is running against you or an organization that's siding with your opponent and playing -- paying for those ads. >> my opponent started out the day after the primarily and -- primary and spent millions with her and her left wing liberals in washington to tear me down. she doesn't have a record to run on so all she can do is try and get the people of the state of wisconsin not to like me. but the truth of the matter is 90% of the people know me as tommy, not as mr. thompson, not as governor but as tommy. my wife and children have lived their whole life in the state of wisconsin and they're trying to make it out i no longer belong in wisconsin. i farm in wisconsin, i run the family farm. my wife and daughter runs a women's health foundation in the state of wisconsin. and we have never left wisconsin. we never will. we believe so much in this state and i've done so much to make wisconsin the best that it possibly can be. and you know, i've run policy ads until finally i have to

defend myself and think that's a mistake. >> representative baldwin, same question, misleading ad against you. >> well, i think it's very similar to what we just heard in my opponent's opening statement. you know, sometimes the definitions that we think we associate with words like liberal and conservative, the name-calling, it just cuts kind of crazy. i look at how we got into the fiscal mess that we're in right now as a nation. and during the bush years we had two unfunded tax cuts, two unfunded wars, and an enormous unfunded medicare part d benefit in which my opponent gave a sweetheart deal to the drug companies that made it illegal for medicare to bargain for better prices for seniors. that's by my quick math about $3.5 trillion unfunded, on the credit cards, debt to our

children and grandchildren and they call that a conservative? the words have lost their meaning. >> our second question will be from lisa petro who will be directed first to representative baldwin. >> congresswoman baldwin, before the end of the year and before either of you is sworn in as a u.s. senator, the nation faces the expiration of the bush era tax cuts, also the 2% payroll deduction, it also faces forced spending cuts of $100 billion unless congress and president obama do something about it. this has been called the -- and leading town what you might do next section do you think the cuts should be allowed to expire and the spending cuts allowed to happen? if not, how would you modify those plans? >> well, the fiscal cliff as they call it is a very serious issue and is a result of partisan impasse and gridlock

where too many in washington put the interests of their party over the interests of the people. sequestration as it's called is indiscriminate and arbitrary across the board cuts and would devastate our economy and is not the right prescription. i support the president's plan, which is a balanced approach. it recognizes that we have twin challenges facing us, the need to reduce our debt and the need to energize our economy and we can't have a set of solutions to run that jeopardizes our ability to tackle the other. so i think with investments in education and research that grow our economy, middle class and small business tax cuts, that's the solution. >> governor thompson? >> we're headed for a recession unless we do something. congress, my opponent has been in congress for 14 years. since she's been in congress, the debt has gone from $6 trillion to $16 trillion, $10 trillion dollars, and she's

voted for a lot of those spending programs. in fact, she introduced legislation to increase the spending with the progressive caucus. and she's voted for 100 or some tax increases. my opponent is a taxer and a spender. but the question was, what are we going to do in january? we've got to make sure we address the taxes. we no longer can afford to allow for these taxes to come into play in january or the sequestration because if both happens, the c.b.o. says we're going to end up in a recession. i don't think anybody wants to have a recession. but isn't it sad that congress, all the time she's there, are waiting until january to solve the problem of america. i'm going to solve day one. that's why i'm running. >> our third question is from john quarter, directed first to governor thompson. >> governor thompson. beyond the cliff effect, we have a $16 trillion debt,

increasing at about $1 trillion a year. the notion some say we cannot levy any more taxes, you signed the taxpayer protection pledge and congresswoman baldwin, you said that you like the buffet rule and co-sponsored that which means taxing rich people more. but you're not going to be able to tax them enough more to get back $16 million. can we really solve this problem, the $16 trillion debt problem without any new taxes? >> yes, we can. but you've got to be determined and you've got to be able to do what i would want to do. i have the same problem when i came in as governor of the state of wisconsin, john. we were in debt, and i came in and with democrats in control of both houses of the legislature cut taxes 91 times. we reformed the spending in the legislature and the state. and we were able to create

742,000 jobs. the biggest increase in jobs ever in the history of our state. we turned the state around. i can do the same thing at the federal level. what do we have to do? we have to put in a balanced budget amendment and then request every federal agency comes in with a 5% reduction from what they got the previous year and give the secretaries the opportunity to be able to get rid of programs that don't work. nobody in washington ever gets rid of anything. but if you would give the secretaries who run the departments the opportunity to cut back 5% and get rid of programs, you'll see the federal government, just like the state did, run more efficiently and better. >> representative baldwin? >> thank you. first, let me talk about what i would cut in order to grapple with our deficit and our debt. i worked to end the war in afghanistan which cost us $2 billion a week. i will get rid of the sweetheart deal tommy thompson

negotiated when he was head of medicare -- that makes it illegal for drug companies to bargain with -- or medicare to bargain with drug companies for better prices for seniors. that one costs us $15 billion per year. i'd get rid of corporate welfare for big corporate farms and big oil. i'd also let the bush tax cuts for the top 2% expire. i also want to look at the record contrasts. i told you about the policies tommy thompson supported that added over $3.5 trillion to the debt when president bush was in office. i opposed those irresponsible plans that added to our debt 3789 so now in the future tommy thompson supports a plan that adds more for tax cuts for the wealthy and raises tax cuts for the middle class and is the wrong prescription for tackling our debt. >> our next question is from robert kennedy, directed first

to representative baldwin. >> representative, good evening. , good evening. >> i'd like to you ask you about tax deductions. what sort of tax reductions might you be looking at for closing up, eliminating altogether things like tuition or childcare, that type of thing, what do you have in mind for that? >> i don't think we have a tax system that's very unfair. it's like there's two sets of rules for the road, one for the well connected and another set for the rest of us. and it's happened over a long course of having powerful interests have too much power in washington and a legion of lobbyists to write special privileges. two of the things i would go after right away, one is the set of deductions and loopholes that encourage outsourcing of u.s. jobs. and an important one is the

very deduction that allows folks to move personnel and equipment overseas and write it off as a business expense. another very important one has to do with a rule called carried interests, where by hedge fund managers get their compensation taxed at the 15% level and why we see the presidential candidate on the republican side paying such low taxes and we're out to get rid of them to be fair for america. >> governor thompson? >> it's always amazing for me to listen to somebody that blames somebody that's not even in congress for all the problems of congress. i was back in lacrosse, wisconsin, creating jobs at l.h.i. when my opponent was in washington spending and taxing to the ninth degree. but we have to request every department to come in at 5% below of what they got the previous year. just like i did at the state level. if you want to balance the budget, you're going to have to

make some tough decisions. what she's talking about is always find a way to tax somebody else and divide up the classes in america. i'm a builder. i built wisconsin and when i was governor we cut taxes 91 times. we cut income taxes. we cut the property taxes, the inheritance taxes and gift taxes and created 742,000 jobs. that's what we did in wisconsin. what they did in washington, they've got 23 million people unemployed and underemployed. that's their accomplishment. complete difference of philosophy and direction between my opponent and myself. >> our next question is from lisa petro directed first to governor thompson. >> this might be something we all can agree on but the approval ratings for congress can't get much worse than it is right now, the lack of productivity probably is aside of most of us in our jobs and we believe something has to change about the way congress operates.

so to that do you believe any changes to the structure, for example term limits or the operational procedures like the 60% filibuster rule in the senate, you think any of those changes should be made and if so, please name them pennsylvania. >> first off, you have to sit down and talk. when i was governor the democrats controlled the legislature in both houses for 12 1/2 out of my 14 years. we accomplished great things. why? because i sat down with the other side. we preached -- reached an agreement. we cut taxes and changed welfare, giving people open opportunity. we built wisconsin. and what happens in washington? everybody, my opponent is so far to the extreme, even her party doesn't pass any of the legislation because she is so far out there. she's not in the mainstream. and what we have to do is we have to be willing to talk, willing to discuss, and willing to reach an agreement. the 60% rule in the u.s. senate should be done away with. being able to put a culture

board in, being able to put a mark in so somebody doesn't get approved, those are yesterday's procedures. all of those procedures in the united states senate should be modernized so that 52%, 51%, 50% of the people in the senate can make policy and move this country forward. >> representative baldwin? >> i certainly agree that congress has gotten too partisan and certainly has lost its civility. and i find that regrettable. i have always had great success in reaching across the party aisle and getting things done, both in my time in the state legislature and my time in the congress. some may not believe that tommy thompson once signed into law a tommy baldwin-scott walker bill. in congress, i've worked to advantage disability legislation for blinded veterans with congressman --

republican congressman, now senator john bozeman. i worked with sue myrick, a republican who passed the national breast and cervical cancer early detection program and with mary bono-mack to pass the spinal paralysis act president obama signed into law. but i agree there ought to be real reform in the u.s. senate and also believe members of congress shouldn't get paid if they don't pass a budget. >> our next question will be from john quarter, directed first to representative baldwin. >> representative baldwin, the population projections for wisconsin are fascinating to look at and it says by 2035 there will be 1.5 million people like me who will be 65 or older. an twice as many as we had in the state in the year 2000. what do you think social

security will look like for them given the fact they've been contributing to it for their entire working lives? >> i was raised by my grandparents and was so lucky they were there for me when i needed them but also meant i was exposed at a much younger age to the value of both medicare and social security. they provided economic security to my family. i believe that they're not just programs but promises and promises that we must keep. a few years back, president bush announced a plan to privatize social security and i think about the financial actual ultimate -- financial tumult our country just went through and what would have happened to those resources had we invested them in the markets? we need to make sure that medicare and social security

remain bedrock foundations. social security is not contributing to our debt. we should leave it alone and make the appropriate changes to keep its solvency for years and generations to come. >> governor thompson? >> a very good question, john. medicare doesn't start going broke until 2036. we've got time to fix it. medicare on the other hand is going to go bankrupt by the year 2022. and you know something? we've got to maintain social security and maintain medicare. but isn't it amazing to me, and surprising why i want to run so bad is i want to fix the problems. my opponent has been in congress for 14 years. has she ever introduced new legislation to fix corbel security? no has she put in legislation to fix medicare? no. has any democrat put in a bill for fixed medicare and social security? they're going to stand around and wait until it goes broke. i want you, john, to be able to be insured you'll have social security. that's why i'm running. i want to make sure that you

and all the seniors of america are going to be able to have that safety net the same way i'm running because of the children and grandchildren in this state so that they can inherit a country stronger, freer, fairer and safer with a future that right now is in crisis. nobody solves the problem, i will. that's why i'm running. >> our next question is from robert kennedy to -- directed first to governor thompson. >> governor, affordable health care or obamacare, certainly a big issue during this campaign and all across the country. you've been tagged by president obama as being a supporter of the affordable care act and the representative voted for it in congress. as we stand here today, or sit here today, your thoughts on that? i mean, are there portions of it you think are viable that should stay? should it be repealed altogether? and what areas should we keep if you think there are parts of it that we're oversaving. >> number one, i'm the one that

started badger care, i started senior care. i changed health care in wisconsin. when i was secretary of health and human services i was the architect of part d that's going to allow seniors to have drugs and be able to purchase those drugs. my opponent doesn't believe obamacare goes far enough. she'd like to have a single payer, a government takeover. what i want, bob, is i want a health care system that's affordable and accessible. number one, let's base it on quality. number two, let's allow individuals to purchase health insurance over the internet and be able to put in what they want in there. number three, let's do away with the liability problems so doctors have got to practice, you know, defensive medicine. let's make sure 18% of the cost of health care which goes in the paper requires insurance companies to have only one form in medicare, save money. 1% of the population uses 20% of the cost. let's make sure they're taken care of and be able to have

managed care. we could change this and make health care affordable and accessible and obama doesn't do that. >> representative baldwin? >> the last thing we need moving forward is have tommy thompson and others rip up the affordable care act, throw it out and have more years of partisan bickering over this. it is high time we pull together across the party aisle and put this in full effect and make it work for america and wisconsinites. the effect of tommy thompson ripping up the healtcare law is very concerning to so many who already have benefited and people who know they will. young people are now on their parents' health insurance up to age 26. i was in a classroom the other day and asked the students raise their hand in oshkosh if they were covered by their parents' insurance. 2/3 of the room shot their hands up and i'm particularly

proud of that because i drafted that particular provision in committee. but people, parents with children with pre-existing conditions for you know they can get insurance coverage. people who are on medicare now get free preventative care. he would throw all that out and that's irresponsible. >> robert, you have a follow-up question? >> i do. governor, just so we're clear, there is no -- nothing in the affordable care act right now that's worth maintaining? >> no. right now the act has 20 increases. we have to do away with the affordable care act and then put in things like making sure the individuals are going to be able to be covered, pre-existing illness can be taken care of. individuals are going to be able to have control over their health care and be able to buy a contract. our opponent wants the government to control it, unlike you, the individual and the state government be able to

determine who is going to be able to be the arbitrators and the referees of health care. huge difference. do you want the federal government to make a determination who your doctor and hospital is or do you want the state and the individual? >> i'm with the state and individual, my opponent wants the federal government, hugely diametrically opposed and what it's about. there's things in there like wellness and prevention that i drafted, bob, when i was secretary that are in the affordable care act that absolutely need to be main tejada. chronic illnesses is something i started when i was secretary of health ands that to be maintained and allowed to continue. >> representative baldwin? >> the last statement about government intrusion in doctor selection is just absurd. the affordable care act, employee implemented, will set up state-based private health insurance exchanges. and people won't get help getting full coverage. what i want to ask, he was asked if there's anything he likes in the bill, how about

something i don't like that was in the bill, and that is that it maintains the sweetheart deal that tommy thompson cut with the drug companies when it became illegal for america to buy better drug prices for seniors. i'd get rid of that. >> our next question is from lisa patro directed first to representative baldwin. >> let's talk about medicare and is a program seniors have come to rely on and is a program, ifed for find could save the government a lot of money and vice president paul ryan had a plan to turn it into a vulture type program and would like to hear specifically each of your visions for the future of medicare. >> well, thank you for that question, lisa. i mentioned the fact i got to see the difference that medicare makes in people's lives at a much earlier age than most do because i was

raise $by my grandparents and my grandmother was medicare by the time i was in my late teens. this is something i regard as more of a program and a promise and one we must keep. my opponent supports a plan to end commay as we know it to instead give seniors vouchers that outside nonpartisan analysts have said will increase out-of-pocket expense for seniors over the first decade up to $6,000. we need to do more to extend the solvency of the program. >> governor thompson? >> it's amazing to me she has the audacity to say i did this when i'm not even in congress.

i'm a private sector. i believe what needs to be done and we've got to protect medicare. but all the years my opponent has been in washington, 14 years, she's never introduced one bill to save medicare. all she does is blame somebody else. she wants to tear down and criticize. i want to fix medicare. i want to make sure the seniors in america and wisconsin are going to have coverage. and i want to make sure we do it in the right way. medicare goes broke in the year 2022. it is $42 trillion in debt right now and there's no way that it's going to be able to continue unless we modify it and change it. i believe paul ryen and has the first step. but i would go further and i would put medicare after and before it goes broke and allow seniors and all those individuals to be able to continue to be covered by medicare but after that be able to be put in the federal health

program the same way she gets her health insurance. if it's good enough for the congress, why isn't it good enough for the seniors? that's the difference. it's not about the program but allowing seniors to have continuation of health care. >> thank you, governor. our next question is from john quaderer first to govern cor thompson. >> i certainly saw israeli prime minister netanyahu holding up his cartoon bomb in the u.n. earlier this week. . kind of disturbing to a lot of americans i'm sure but israel says if iran moves closer to building nuclear weapons it will do what it sees fit to protects itself and our policy over the years indicates the u.s. would respond militarily if israel asked us. is keeping iran from becoming a nation with nuclear weapons worth putting u.s. troops in harm's way? >> it's necessary to prevent

iran and ahmadinejad as an individual who is somewhat mentally impair who had believes the holocaust never existed, believes israel should be destroyed, and has threatened america they're going to block aid -- blockade the gulf of hormuz and enter us in a world depression. unless we draw the line benjamin netanyahu wants, we'll have the problem of iran having a nuclear bomb. we cannot afford that. it will end up in a world war so we've got to stop them. my opponent in 2006, 2009, 2010 voted against the angeses of iran. only now three months before the election she's now for them. and i believe it's time for us to draw the red line and say no more ahmadinejad, we are going to stop and you are not going to have a nuclear bomb. we cannot afford to allow that individual and that country to

have a nuclear bomb. >> representative baldwin? >> iran's nuclear ambitions are a threat to the united states, a threat to the region, a threat to our allies, including israel and especially israel for which it is an existential threat. it's a threat i take very seriously. iran must not become capable of creating a nuclear weapon. i support the president who has said that all options remain on the table. and i believe this is an area where we have to stand united as americans on this foreign policy. i have voted for tough and biting sanctions against iran and believe that that process needs to continue to play itself out. all options on the table. but i also would never frivolously, not quite the right word, i would never

without thoughtful plans send our men and women in harm's way without an exit strategy and assurance we are going to be effect pitch. -- effective. >> our next question is from robert kennedy directed first to representative baldwin. >> representative, the situation in afghanistan, american troops being killed by people they're training to provide security for their country, some of those training missions now have been put on hold at least temporarily, how -- in your opinion, should americans continue to be at risk in that environment? is it too unstable of an environment for productive security exercise to continue, and your thoughts on that? >> well, i appreciate that question. in 2001, i voted to authorize use of military force in afghanistan. in the days and months

following the 9/11 attacks on the united states. it was a very clear and focused mission to go after those who planned and executed that attack. and i believe that our brave men and women who went to afghanistan very capably fulfilled that mission frankly and fairly in short order. i was in afghanistan in august of 2010 in kabul and bagram air force base and met with wisconsin soldiers and folks in the military from the senior ranks to the -- to those coming back from forward operating bases. you would be so proud of those men and women. but this nation building mission is not the one that was authorized and it's now time for them to come home. >> governor thompson? >> my opponent just, i think, misstated. she said she voted for the sanctions and against iran. she voted against the sanctions in 2006, 2009, and 2010, and in

august voted for them because she was running for the united states senate. complete change of heart. in regards to afghanistan, ladies and gentlemen, i got my training from colin powell. he always taught me this. he says, tommy, if you're going to war, have a plan and a reason to go to war. number two, make sure that if you go into war, you have the necessary firepower to win, overwhelmingly. and number three, have an exit strategy. we do not have the desire to win and we do not have an exit strategy. we should now get out of afghanistan. i've been to afghanistan four times. i built a hospital, abiabaki for women and children in kabul and opened it up over easter in 2004. and it was one of those humanitarian things i've been involved in but we need to get out of afghanistan now. >> robert, follow up? >> yes, thank you. a quick follow-up.

for the record, then, is there no useful purpose for u.s. troops to be in afghanistan, representative, in your opinion? >> 30 seconds. >> at this point, we are there engaged in war. the mission i believe has been completed and completed successfully in short order. the nation building, the building of hospitals in afghanistan when we have nation building needs at home is not sufficient reason, and we need to bring our troops home. >> our next question is from lisa patrow directed first to governor thompson. >> oil is the major reason u.s. lives are put at stake in that region. so i'd like to know your thoughts on developing more energy alternatives in this country, offshore drilling, pulling oil from federal land, that sort of thing. >> when i was secretary, i went

up to anwr in alaska. i had to go up to take care of the alaska natives and found out the area they want to drill in, anwr is about 2,000 acres in 30,000 square miles. it's like putting a postage stamp on a football field. we can drill and drill correctly. they say the caribou walk through, they're smart enough to walk around. the environmentalists are not be but the caribou are. we can drill effectively and bring the oil to america. the keystone pipeline which my opponent is opposed to as well as the president, i've been up there. alberta has more tar sands oil than we need in america for the next 25 years. and all they want to do is build a pipeline down through the dakotas, down to houston to refine the gas. we can do that. we have natural gas. we produce more natural gas in saudi arabia. i'm fed up with sending money to opec that uses money against america. i want us to become energy independent and can do it by

drilling natural gas and building the pipeline. >> representative baldwin? >> certainly becoming energy independent of mideast oil is necessary for our economy as well as our national security. and so i think we have to have an all-hands-on-deck approach to this. first of all, by domestic extraction, having a use it or lose it policy. tommy talks about opening up anwr for drilling when it would only produce a six-month supply. and we have oil companies right now that are sitting on leases for years and years and not using them. use it or lose it. we can do a lot more with efficiency. we can do a lot more, also, with new energy and homegrown energy. there's so much happening in wisconsin in the midwest that's creating new jobs.

that's the direction we need to go in. >> our next question is from john quarderer first directed towards representative baldwin. >> there are probably people watching us out of work or others watching us that used to have jobs that paid better. in a lot of ways, i think this election is about jobs. you've been talking in about every answer, both of you. president obama indicates he believes the public sector can create jobs and help the economy. his opponent says that by helping the private sector, they will create jobs and help the economy. where do you stand on the public sector creating jobs? >> i'm sorry, representative baldwin, you're first. >> thank you. that is the critical question in this election. people are going to vote based on who has the plans to get our economy moving again, to get better jobs. i believe that the government

can do things to foster private sector job development. let me just talk about the basic investments we need to protect in order to do that. it's education and research and innovation, it's infrastructure. and unfortunately my opponent is supporting a budget plan because he's giving such huge tax breaks to the very wealthy and raising taxes on middle class and small businesses, they are slashing the very investments they think is essential to our growth. the other thing important is in wisconsin we make things. manufacturing is part of the backbone of this state. i have a manufacturing agenda that doesn't cost much money at all, if any, but are the right policies to get us going and making things again. >> governor thompson? >> you don't have a record, you attack the other person. i'm not in congress, you are. i'm in the private sector creating jobs. i want you to look what i did as governor. as governor, i was governor for

14 years. we had high unemployment when i came in. i cut taxes 91 times. we grew the state by 742,000 jobs. we went down to unemployment below 2%. i'm a reformer. i get things done. i don't criticize the other side. i make sure things happen. and in regards to what's going on, my opponent and barack obama want to increase food stamps and unemployment. i want to cut taxes. i want to get the individuals going. i want the private sector to create jobs and opportunity. there's plenty of money available for individuals to put into the marketplace. they are afraid because they don't know the direction of this election is going to go. i am confident we can do better in america like i did as governor of wisconsin. >> our next question is from robert kennedy, directed first to governor thompson. >> governor, i want to talk

about a social issue. can you talk to me a little bit about what your limits on abortion, if any, would be and how much federal dollars need to be spent on that? >> i am -- i always been and always will be pro-life. i do have exclusions for the life of the mother on rape and incest. but i am pro-life and always have been and always will be. and i believe that's the correct policy. i believe that is what is needed in america today. >> nor baldwin? >> i support the decision in roe vs. wade. and i also believe, as a majority of wisconsin ites do that abortion should be rare and safe. i under this is a very difficult topic. it's wrenching for some to grapple with it. but i think that important life

decisions have to be left to women in consultation with their families, doctor, clergy. these are difficult issues. but part of the question was what sort of dollars should be involved at the federal level. and as we debated the health care law, there have been certainties that there will be no taxpayer dollars spent on the abortion procedure. >> a quick follow-up, governor. staying with the social issue theme, same-sex marriage. some states are allowing, some are having civil unions in place of that, what's your stand on that? >> 71 out of the 72 counties voted for a constitutional amendment in wisconsin. i support those 71 counties. that same-sex marriage is not

legal in the state of wisconsin and i support that. it's an issue up to the states and where it should be. >> representative baldwin? >> i believe in principles of equality and i certainly support marriage equality. i recognize what the voters of wisconsin decided back in 2006. we know that every year people are thinking about this issue and changing their mind. i was very moved when i saw the president's interview in which he talked about his journey to support marriage equality. he talked about the parents of his daughter's friends, he talked about meeting soldiers serving our country. he talked about all of the conversations along the way that got him to change his mind. i think that's what's happening across america. >> your time has expired, representative baldwin.

our next question is by lisa patrow directed first to representative baldwin. >> my question focuses on the environment and the new study that came out said the asian carp could infest all five of the great lakes within 20 years. what do you feel the federal government can do and particularly you as a u.s. senator to help avert a disaster? >> representative baldwin? >> thank you. invasive species are a particular threat to the waters that we cherish so much, and in particular, there's great concern that asian carp, especially entering the lake michigan through the area in chicago is going to present a threat. i think that we have to foster cooperation between the great lake states. unfortunately, we've had a little trouble on this one with

illinois' cooperation. but that's how we're going to do this, only if we work together. you know, if wisconsin moves forward or michigan moves forward but illinois doesn't, we're going to have issues. so the great lakes compact was something i strongly supported but we need special compacts relating to invasive species that threaten our precious waterways. >> governor thompson? >> i'm absolutely surprised, the first time i haven't been blamed for something, or george bush. you know, the truth of the matter is that we've got to stop it. there's no dilly-dallying around it. this carp infestation gets into the great lakes it will ruin our fisheries and there's no if's, and's or but's about it. we've got to demand they seal that and put the wire netting up there and seal that canal as fair and as best as we possibly can. we've got to convince the army

corps of engineers and the great lakes governors in the states that this is something that is devastating to our future. the great lakes are an important asset for all the great lake states, especially wisconsin. and we cannot tolerate or allow the asian carp to get in there. so we have to use the power of the senate, the army corps of the engineers, the house of representatives, the president cy and all of the commissions in order to stop it. there is no turning back. this is a stake in the ground and we've got to stop it. >> we have time for one final question. it will be from john quarderer directed first to governor thompson and i'm sorry but i have to ask you to limit your response to 30 seconds. >> well, that's not fair. early in the obama administration the senate republican leader said the single most important thing we want to achieve is for president obama to be a one-term president.

i was indicating he would get no cooperation or compromise from the opposing party, if the president-elected in november is not of your party and you do win the senate seat, to what extent will you adopt that approach to thwart the president's agenda or make him look bad? >> i'm a reformer. i was governor with the democrats in control of both houses 12 1/2 years out of my 14. i worked with democrats. i think it is important for us to make sure that we do everything we can do to confront the problems and not postpone them as my opponent has been doing the last 14 years. we've got to confront them and solve the problems. i'll work bipartisanly with anyone who wants to work to solve these problems. that's why i'm running. i do not want us to continue on in debate, and tear down and demagogue each other. i want us to solve america's problems and move this country forward. >> representative baldwin, 30 second.

>> thank you. i will support the president and commander in chief no matter what party that individual belongs to because we're americans first. and it's high time that we put partisan -- the next election and partisanship behind and put the people's business first. but i also think that it's time to stop looking decades past about what my opponent did in the past in the 1970's and 1980's. what's important is he signed a pledge to a washington, d.c. lobbyist, grover norquist, instead of taking a pledge to the wisconsin people. that's why we have partisan knots in washington and it shouldn't be that way. >> thank you. and that concludes the question and answer portion of our debate. each candidate will now have the opportunity to make a 1 1/2 minute closing statement. governor thompson? >> thank you very much for watching and listening tonight.

our country is in crisis. the reason i'm running, ladies and gentlemen, is because i have three great children and eight grandchildren. i'm running for them and your children and grandchildren. the country can no longer afford not to confront the problems. my opponent has been in congress for 14 years and has become and ranked the most liberal member in the house of representatives and voted for 140 tax increases. i cut taxes 1 times. i reformed welfare completely so poor people would have a chance to have a job and be able to get ahead in life. i'm a reformer, ladies and gentlemen. my wife and i have worked very hard to do the best for wisconsin and we always will. we've lived our whole lives here and we are concerned about the future generations. i want to make sure that your children and grandchildren out there are going to be able to inherit this country with fronger -- stronger, freer, safer and with more options

than we had. right now the direction being led with more taxes, more government regulation, a government control of health care which is being advocated by my opponent would absolutely ruin the kind of america that all of us want to build. we want to become energy independent and safe. we've got to drill. we've got to build the pipelines and we've got to create jobs. cutting taxes and reforming the tax system, we are going to be able to allow businesses to grow and prosper and allow children to have a future that's going to be the best in the world. thank you very much and i would appreciate your vote. >> representative baldwin, your 1 1/2 minute closing statement. >> thank you. and thank you again for this opportunity. you've had a chance to hear from two very different candidates with two very different visions for wisconsin's future. i don't believe that we should have two sets of rules, especially in our tax code. and that's why i've introduced the buffet rule.

it says that millionaires and billionaires should have to do their fair share. my opponent is supporting tax cuts, additional trillions of dollars weighted to the very wealthy, and it will increase the middle tax burden by an average of $1,300 per family. and that's not my information, that's the tax policy center. on economic priorities, i think it's important that we have a balanced approach to moving our economy forward and as well as paying down our national debt. it's why i believe we should get out of afghanistan and end corporate subsidies to big oil and corporate funds and why we should get rid of tommy thompson's sweetheart deal to the drug companies that cost us so dearly. meanwhile, we need to protect our investments in education and research to help our economy grow. with medicare and social security, i believe they have to be bedrock guarantees.

but tommy thompson would voucherize medicare and eliminate it for our next generation. i'll be a voice for the people, not for the powerful. and if this is what you're looking for in your next u.s. senator, i ask for your vote, and i ask you to join our team. >> thank you. that concludes the debate between wisconsin u.s.a. senate candidates congressman tammy baldwin and former governor tommy thompson. this debate has been sponsored by the wisconsin broadcasters association foundation through generous grants from the wisconsin association of independent colleges and universities, w.p.s. health insurance and aarp-wisconsin. we thank the candidates and we thank our panelists. over 80 wisconsin radio and television stations have broadcast this debate to ensure that every citizen has had the opportunity to hear and see the major candidates running for the u.s. senate in wisconsin. on behalf of wisconsin's radio

and television broadcasters and candidates tammy baldwin and tommy thompson, thank you for listening and watching. [captioning made possible by national [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captioning copyright national cable satellite corp.2012] >> the >> see the first of the presidential debates wednesday night, live on c-span, c-span radio and online at c span.org. watch and engage. tonight on c-span,